Golf-ball.



Z .879,981 PATENTED FEB 25, 1908.

Y O. L. READE.

GOLF BALL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.17.1907v W: Inventor.-

. 50 same.

UNITED STATES arser 'ossros,

CHARLES LISTON- RE ADE, OF BEXHILL, ENGLAND.

' eons-Bart.

I No. 879,981.

Specification of Letters Paten Patented Feb. 2a, 1908.

Application filed January 17. 1907. Serial No- 352.747.

of golf balls, and the object is to provide a particularly resilient core for same composed of vulcanized rubber soaked in an appropriate hydrocarbon, means being adopted which will prevent the hydrocarbonfrom evaporatin or affecting the outer parts of lo the ball. obtain this object by forming a core of'a solid. or a hollow vulcanized rubber sphere or spherical body of convenient size, or I may roduce same from tubin strip, sheet, cor ,thread, shredded,-

g'ranu ated, filed or powdered vulcanized rubber, with or Without a gutta-percha or other center, which sphere is then soaked in naphtha, benzene, turpentine, or other hydrocarbon, thereby causing it to swell or increase in bulk until the desired degree-of resiliency is imparted to it. In orderto prevent evaporation of the hydrocarbon or any injurious effects on the shell of the finished ball, I find it necessary or desirable to incase 80 the hydrocarbonized sphere in a covering of gelatin, sugar, collodion or other appropriate substance or substances.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following specification with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure .1, shows a section of a plain core;

\ Fig. 2,;shows a section of acore formed with a hollow center; Fig. 3, shows a section of a core having a solid nucleus; and Fig. 4,

40,sh0 ws a complete ball, partly in section,

with my improvements ap lied thereto.

The portion marked a 1n the first figure represents the resilient portion of the core which is here formed of a solid spherical body of vulcanized rubber soaked in hydrocarbon and incased in a-covering b of anyone or more of the aforesaid substances, or rubber 'wrappings which may be previously or subsequently dipped in a saturated solution of This spherical body may be roduced by molding and vulcanizing shred ed,

granulated, filed or powdered rubber, or

from .waste vulcanized rubber. Again, a suitable sphere may be produced by winding tubing, cord, thread, strip orsheet vulcanized-rubber uponjitselfand treating it in the manner herein specified. I

Another formof core is shown at Fig.2 composed of the resilientportion a and covering b and having'a hollow center 0, while according to the form shown at Fig. 3, the

vulcanized rubber may be-wrap ed, molded or wound upon a nucleus 11 of ru ber, guttapercha, celluloid, ebonite and so forth, then soaked in hydrocarbon and incased as described.

In some instances I wind upon the hydrocarbonized body, or upon the incased core, a quantity of vulcanized rubber thread, tape, strip or sheet before applying theouter shell of any well known material. When a still higher de ree of resiliency is required, the outer win ing or covering of vulcanized rubber may itself be hydrocarbonized also.

I have found that when vulcanized rubber i5. is soaked for a sufficient length oftime in' the hydrocarbon, it increases materially in bulk and gains in resiliency without partially dis-f. solving as raw rubber does.

Whichever construction may be adopted, a

the portion ais always soaked in the hydrocarbon till sufiiciently swollen, or it is first fashioned and then treated with the solvent.

By way of an example I would state that asolid vulcanized rubber-sphere of say g inch diameter and roughly weighing 1 2 grains, can by soaking in hydrocarbonbe readily increased to a diameter of g inch and having about double its original weight and also about double the ordinary reslliency, which renders the same particularly ada table for the core of a golf ball. 1

T e cores prepared in. the aforesaid manner can be'rendered lighter than water and .they impart properties to golf balls not hitherto attained. These cores are ready for.' r:

further incasement' by'means of a winding machine or other finishing process for the manufacture of complete balls.

By this improved manufacture of gold balls, anincrcased internal resiliency is imparted to them and an accelerated spring in the drive is insured while at the same time they have a strong tendency to muffle in sli ht strokes.

' claim 1. In a golf-ball, the combination with an outer shell of a swollen hydrocarbonized resilient core of Vulcanized rubber and a vaporprool covering for said core, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a golflball, the combination with the outer shell, of a swollen hydrocarbonized resilientcore of molded vulcanized rubber and a vapor-prosf covering for said core as set forth.

3. In a gull-ball, the combination with the 10 outer shell, of a swollen hydrocabonizcd rcsilient core of vulcanized rubber, a vaporprool' covering around said core and hydrocarbonized windings of Vulcanized rubber be- ;cim said covering and the shell, as set 'ort 1.

cnafuiucs LISTON READE. 

